''Eleutherodactylus amadeus'', also known as Mozart's frog
or Haitian robber frog,
[ is a species of ]frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...
in the family Eleutherodactylidae. It is endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the Massif de la Hotte, southwestern Haiti
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
.[ After not having been seen after 1991, the species was reported again in 2011.]
Etymology
''Eleutherodactylus amadeus'' is named after the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
"for the remarkable resemblance of the wide-band audiospectrogram of this species to musical notes."
Description
Males measure on average and females in snout–vent length.
Reproduction
Male advertisement call is a single four-note call, emitted from low herbaceous vegetation or from the ground. Similar two-note calls have been heard in late afternoon and early evening, although there is no certainty that they belong to this species. After darkness, only four-note calls are heard. Egg cluster have been found under objects on the ground. Clutch size is 11–12; egg clusters might contain eggs from more than one female.
Habitat and conservation
Its natural habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
is closed-canopy forest at elevations of above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
. In daytime they hide under rocks and logs. Males can be heard calling in the early evening from low herbaceous vegetation.habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
, primarily caused by logging (for charcoaling) and slash-and-burn
Slash-and-burn agriculture is a form of shifting cultivation that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a Field (agriculture), field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody p ...
agriculture. It occurs in the Pic Macaya National Park. However, there is no active management for conservation, and habitat loss continues in the park.
See also
* List of organisms named after famous people (born before 1800)
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q139247
amadeus
Frogs of Haiti
Endemic fauna of Haiti
Taxa named by Stephen Blair Hedges
Taxa named by Richard Thomas (herpetologist)
Amphibians described in 1987
Cultural depictions of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot